Trustees deadlock on golf carts and pay

For the second time in two and a half months, South Jacksonville trustees were deadlocked, 3-3, on whether to allow golf carts on village streets.

Acting Village President and Trustee Steve Waltrip and trustees Mike Elliott and John Gotschall voted in favor of the golf cart ordinance at a special trustees’ meeting Tuesday night, while trustees Kem Wilson, Stacy Pinkerton and Paula Belobrajdic-Stewart voiced “no” votes.

“I think it is a very good ordinance,” Elliott said. “I feel that we have done our homework in studying the issue. We have a comparable ordinance to Jacksonville, so we can be reciprocal. Basically, I feel it would be better for our residents in traveling between the communities.”

Prior to the vote, village resident Mike Looker presented the trustees with 80 more signatures of people in favor of allowing golf carts on village streets. This summer, Looker gave the trustees a petition signed by 380 village residents advocating their use.

Also, Jacksonville Police Sgt. Matt Martin, speaking on behalf of Police Chief Tony Grootens, addressed the trustees, saying that city police had not experienced any problems with golf carts.

“The reason I continue to vote against the golf cart ordinance is because many people continue to come to me and urge me to vote no,” Wilson said. “Therefore, I’m voting no on behalf of those village residents. I have been getting more messages from people since this was brought up in July.”

However, Elliott said the matter could always be decided by village residents at the ballot box.

Trustees also came to a stalemate on the matter of their compensation. Two weeks ago, the Personnel and Finance Committee proposed a $100 monthly raise for trustees, taking them from $100 to $200.

Waltrip, Elliott and Gotschall voted against the proposal, while Wilson, Pinkerton and Belobrajdic-Stewart were in favor of the monthly pay hike.

“It’s very frustrating because in our committee meeting two weeks ago, Steve [Waltrip] and Sherm [John Gotschall] said they would vote in favor of the trustees’ compensation,” Wilson said. “One hundred dollars a month is not ample compensation for all the duties that encompass the position of trustee.”

Elliott said he doesn’t see a need for more pay.

“I don’t think our duties have increased that much, and I haven’t heard enough compelling information to warrant an increase,” he said.

Wilson said compensation will be raised again at an Oct. 4 committee meeting. She said there is a state statute that says an ordinance pertaining to trustee compensation must be voted on 180 days prior to the seating of new trustees in May. “In other words,” Wilson said, “it will need to be passed before the end of October, or else it can’t be voted on again for two years.”

In other action, trustees approved annual pay increases for Public Works Superintendent John Green and Police Chief Josh Hallock. Green will receive $5,000 more a year, taking him to $63,041, and Hallock gets $3,600 more, increasing his salary to $55,100.

Greg Olson can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1224, or on Twitter @JCNews_Greg.